About this project

$7,070

pledged of $7,000 goal

57

backers

WHAT IS THIS?

'Cube Rat' is an original rock musical with 10 great
songs, and the fantastically funny, whimsical and heartfelt story of a girl
trying to come to terms with the schism between what she knows her life is
meant to be, and what it instead, actually is; Normal. EEEEEEEEEK! The
show has been workshopped at SIR studios and The Green Room in NYC to stunned,
tearfully laughing audiences who offered standing ovations after each showcase.

WHAT ARE WE TRYING TO DO?

Our goal is to take 'Cube Rat' to the Edinburgh
Fringe Festival this August in order to gain exposure for this wonderful piece.
Edinburgh is a hotbed of theatrical producers and agents who are looking for
talent and content for tours, television, film, and radio!

HOW WILL WE DO IT?

The stage is set! I've applied and been accepted to
PBH's Free Fringe. The artists and community work together to foster and
maintain independence. I have a venue and performance dates. Now I have to book
flights and flats, get my hair done, and get on a plane!

WHAT'S THE MONEY FOR?

A project like this, even though it's essentially a
solo show, (with live musicians) takes a village as you’ll see below in our
team bios. But most of these people are working for free or bupkiss out of
belief in the project. Still and yet there are costs that can’t be avoided such
as flights, transportation, room and board, printing of marketing materials,
design costs, costumes, a tech person in Scotland, and all the things I’m
forgetting, like lost wages while we’re in Scotland.

I estimate the overall cost to be $12,000 even with
all these wonderful people kicking in their time and talent.

$5,000 of that has already been covered over the course of the last 4
months of production. I’m hoping My Hero, Kickstarter will help our amazing
team so rather than feeling fraught with the stress of under-funding, we’ll be
able to approach this incredible undertaking knowing the universe supports us.

WHO'S INVOLVED?

Dana McCoy -
(me) wrote book, music, lead performer, co-producer. My bio’s somewhere on this
page already as well as on my website. I promise you I have proper creds, but perhaps the greatest thing I’ve done is attract the following
people.

All Star Team:

Inbrook/Calvin Wynter - Press/Promotion - Calvin, an
international theater producer, is one of the top producers for many years in
Edinburgh. Calvin is Managing Director of Green Room Presents and Inbrook, and
is an accredited promoter for Adelaide Fringe and The Edinburgh Festival
Fringe. He is a judge and industry panelist for The Boston Comedy
Festival, New York Comedy Competition and The New York Underground Comedy
Festival. Previously, Calvin was a Managing Director of Corporate Finance
at Lehman Brothers, a Vice President at Merrill Lynch. Having Calvin’s
expert guidance is an unimaginable windfall for this show.

PBH Free Fringe – Co- Producer - Peter Buckley Hill,
founder of PBH's Free Fringe has created something with a remarkably similar
ethos to Kickstarter. In his portion of the Edinburgh Fringe, people don't have
to have money to be involved, they simply pitch in and help one another, thus building
community and artist independence. Peter, I kiss you for accepting me into your
curated roster of rebels.

Jon Asher – Co-Producer, COO, Featherweight
Productions, - Jon served as an officer of the Navy during Viet Nam, retired as
a director from IBM after 30 years during which time he computer networked The
White House, has grown several mid size and start up IT companies into large,
lucrative businesses, and currently leads the advisory committee of the
historic town he calls home in New England.

Bernadette Daly - Co-Author - is a comedian, writer,
actress who studied at Upright Citizens Brigade with Amy Poehler after
graduating from The American Academy of Dramatic Arts. Dana finds her one of
the funniest people alive.

Gordon Stewart - Script/Story Development - Before,
during and after getting an MFA in directing from Yale Drama School, Gordon
directed and/or conducted some 30 productions including the premiers of Cowboy
Mouth by Sam Shepherd and Patti Smith, and Sleep by Jack Gelber, (both at the
Edinburgh Festival) Jesse and the Bandit Queen for Joseph Papp at the Public
Theatre, and was the original director for the Elephant Man production that
moved to Broadway as Gordon went to become principal Speechwriter for President
Jimmy Carter. This is just for starters.

Gretchen Cryer –
Script/Story Development, Performance Coach - Gretchen is best known for writing the book and lyrics and
starring in "I'm Getting My Act Together and Taking It On the Road",
originally produced in New York City by Joseph Papp's Public Theater followed
by a 3-year run at the Circle in the Square, and hundreds of subsequent
productions here and abroad. In Chicago the show won the Joseph Jefferson Award
for the Best Musical and Gretchen won the Best Actress Award. The cast album
won a Grammy nomination. Gretchen has written numerous other shows winning the
Obie Award - Best Musical, Drama Desk Award, Outer Critics Circle Awards. She
has recorded 2 albums for RCA, starred on Broadway in her own Cabaret Act, is a
member of the Dramatist Guild Council, is President of the Dramatist Guild
Fund.

Roger Greenawalt - Music Producer/Musician -
Greenawalt studied at Berklee College of Music, has produced
and performed on records by bands such as Ben Kweller, The Pierces, and Julian Velard. He currently operates Shabby Road
Studio in the heart of Williamsburg. The Pierces album Thirteen Tales of Love and Revenge
has been highly regarded; the single "Secret" is the theme song for
the TV show Pretty
Little Liars. The album has been reviewed favorably in
magazines such as NME,
Rolling Stone, and Spin.
Roger's worked on dozens of TV commercials and various theme music for
television, including Sky, Coca Cola,
Ford, Croc Hunter,
and National Geographic. He plays every instrument, even the uke.

Graham Spence - Music Producer/Musician/Tech
Director - has produced/engineered a plethora of British artists including the
punk/pop band Alcatraz Spoon of which he's a member, and the delicious Urban
Voodoo Machine, during his time running Jay Studios in London.

Jason Loadsman - Drummer/Performer - Jason is a highly coveted drummer, always on the road with a great band. His primary concern is Urban Voodoo Machine (who SO ROCK and have a new record out) and Alcatraz Spoon, of which Jay is a founding member. He also owns/directs Studios in London.

Jonny Porkpie - Illustration/Poster Design - Jonny
is a New
York City-based writer,
director,
and performer.
So called for his pork pie hat,
Jonny Porkpie creates and hosts scripted theme-based burlesque shows as part of his
production company, Pinchbottom,as well as solo productions under the
title "Jonny Porkpie's Bad Ideas". His work has been touted in New
York Magazine.
He was born in New York City,is an Ivy League
graduate with a degree in Visual Art who is of Dutch/Jewish
ancestry, and is a member of an old theatrical family.

Marisa Crawford -
Poster Photography/Styling - Marisa credits her eye for fashion, film, and
photography to the influences of her grandmother, mother, father, and uncle -
film director Paul Morrissey, director of Andy Warhol’s films. Marisa started
her professional career as a model with Elite, working regularly with
photographers Steven Meisel, Guy Bourdin, Bill King, and Illustrator Antonio
Lopez. She then spent 16 years as a fashion stylist and consultant for Saks
Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom’s, etc., was a contributing Fashion Editor for Italian Vogue, L'Uomo
Vogue, Spanish Vogue, Vanity Fair, Surface, Glamour, In Style. Her photography
has been commissioned by Interview, Teen Vogue, Cookie, Milk, British Vogue,
and Vogue Ninos magazines, and by designers and retailers: Erin Fetherston,
Academy For Wayward Girls, Woven Play, and J. Crew – Crew Cuts.

Mike Potter -
Poster Photo Stylist - Mike is the creator of the makeup looks and wigs for the off
Broadway musical Hedwig and the Angry Inch and
subsequent film adaptation, in which he also has a
small cameo.
Potter received a Phoenix Film Critics Society Award nomination
for best makeup for his work on Hedwig and was asked by MAC Cosmetics to design a special
lipstick called "Angry Inch".He was also the makeup
artist for Pieces
of April, The Heart is Deceitful Above All Things (JT Leroy),
Bugcrush, the Scissor
Sisters' video "Filthy/Gorgeous"
(another collaboration with John Cameron Mitchell). Besides film,
Potter is a makeup artist for fashion editorial and advertising. He has worked
with photographers Mick Rock,
Richard
Avedon, and Carter Smith, and his work was featured in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue shot
by Pamela
Hanson. Mike and Dana have collaborated on several projects
over the years including Gary Graham’s Fashion Shows, and Dana’s first Rock
Musical, ‘Prom Queens’, for which Mike created the make-up and wigs.

Neville Elder -
Publicity Photos - After graduating from the postgraduate course of
Photojournalism at the London College of Printing, Neville Elder began
freelancing for Fleet Street broadsheets in London. Titles include The
Independent, The Guardian, The Daily Telegraph, The Observer and Associated
Press. He received a special award from the Picture Editors guild for
News Photography and won the Business and Industry Award for Photography
1999. Also in this year, he was first runner-up for the Georges Bendriem
Prize. The following year. his portrait of Boris Johnson was exhibited as
part of the Kobal Awards Exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery in
London. Since March 2001 he has
been working in New York City where he supplies newspapers and magazines
worldwide.

Dragonfly - Promo Videographer - Digital filmmaker Robin
Laverne Wilson attended Rutgers, began filming in Koobi Fora, Kenya, and
creating documentaries, one of which will soon air on Current TV; She’s also worked at VH1. Her intent is
to create media that appeals to the highest common denominator—telling stories
that are socially, culturally, and politically relevant.

Danny Valdes - Web/Social Network Man – Danny is an
accomplished web maestro, running all things cyber for Reverend Billy and the
Church of Earthalujah. Danny also
has a radio show and loves Heavy Metal.

Cynthia Merino - Programme Image Graphics – Cynthia Merino
is an accomplished photographer, owner of the Poplar Creek Gallery, and is now
blossoming Graphic Artist who’s sense of design and balance naturally inform
all her creative work including her highly successful jewelry design.

Here's our press release:

For Immediate Release | Inbrook

DANA MCCOY: ʻCUBE RATʼ

A Rock Musical in an Office Cubicle

“I'd like to sign her uterus with my magic pen”- Russell Brand

“Amazing!” - Colin Quinn

"McCoy's voice has a smokey intensity" - Billboard

Dana McCoy is a Billboard Album of the Year winner and Virgin Records artist who has triumphantly appeared on comedian Rosie O'Donnell's American chat show and been adoringly profiled in all major media.

Now – drum roll please – she works in an office cubicle.

But though Dana has gone from riding a tour bus to being a desk jockey, the laughs (and tunes) keep (rockin' and) rolling. Dana McCoy: ʻCube Ratʼ is here to bridge the gap between what people think their lives should be and what they actually are, hopefully without inciting too many suicides along the way.

Dana McCoy was born singing and dancing, and has trained in all the disciplines of performance since then: Ballet, Modern and Jazz at the North Carolina School of the Arts; Musical Theatre training at Boston Conservatory; then the Cleo Lane Vocal Scholarship and Berklee Grant to study composition, voice and

performance at Berklee College of Music. Since school Dana has toured as a singer/songwriter and performer in the US, UK and Europe, been a staple on the New York City music scene singing in recording studios and clubs, and as one might expect, her live shows always include various forms of dance.

In the 1990's Dana opened her own music company, Featherweight Productions, and produced her

first solo album (Taking Shape, available on iTunes) that went on to become a Billboard Editorʼs choice for Album of the Year. Dana McCoy: ʻCube Ratʼ features a score co-produced by Roger Greenwalt, the owner of Shabby Road studios, who will appear alongside Dana throughout this Edinburgh run. Greenwalt is known for discovering singer Ben Kweller, working with acts as diverse as Rufus Wainwright and Ric Ocasek and performing all 185 original Beatles songs on ukulele in one day.

With his able assistance, Dana has put together a show so good, she may have to

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $200 or more
About $200

All previous + present us with a pictures of you at your day job, and one of you engaged in your dream job and we'll include them in the slide show for all performances at Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2011! (Picture Deadline, 7.24.11)

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $500 or more
About $500

All previous + send us a 1 page story of your worst job experience and we'll incorporate it into one show in Edinburgh, this summer. We will provide video evidence if you can't be present. (Story deadline, 8.1.2011)

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $2,500 or more
About $2,500

Cyber CD with lyrics, signed poster, and published chart-topping songwriter, Dana McCoy will customize a song for you or the person of your choice. (She recommends your boss, but it could be anyone) This song will be demoed and personalized for your recipient.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $5,000 or more
About $5,000

Minnie Cooper and her musicians will travel to your town and give a performance of Cube Rat with Q&A. This is recommended for anyone, but particularly corporate retreats and parties. Seriously. (Travel cost outside US not included)